by Anton Johan
In its first move to open the gambling market to operators, the French government awarded its first wave of licenses to companies last week.
Among those who are now directly licensed by the French authorities include Bwin, the iconic Austrian group, and GigaMedia's two poker brands, BetClic Poker and Everest Poker.
The latter two are jointly owned by Mangas Gaming.
All in all, the French government awarded 17 licenses to 11 different operators, allowing them the opportunity to offer online betting services on sports, horse racing and poker.
The French regulator of gaming told the local media that there had many a significant number of license applications, and around half have been approved.
"There were 35 requests for licenses and we have retained 17 at this stage," he said.
He also added that "none have been formally rejected."
Those who received their licenses were listed as: Everest Gaming, Betclic, Table 14, Sajoo, BES SS, Francaise des Jeux, Beturf, France Pari, Iliad Gaming, SPS Betting France and Pari Mutuel Urbain.
Bwin's partnership with the Amaury Groupe saw it being awarded a license for their joint Sajoo venture.
A number of other operators have applied, including Party Gaming, although no formal approval has been received as yet.
The companies are now at an advantage over their competitors as they are able to offer betting on the World Cup that is currently underway in South Africa.
